Cooler lid



July 6, 1943; w. G. KALISKA 2,323,870

I COOLER LID Filed D60. 2, 1939,

Patented July 6, 1943 COOLER LID WilliamGLKaliska, Atlanta, Ga.,assignor to The Coca-Cola Company, Wilmington, Del., acorporation ofDelaware Application December 2, 1939, Serial No. 307,237 4- Claims..(Cl. 220-24) This'invention relates tothe beverageindustry, and moreparticularly has to do with means of preventing losses to merchantsusing certain auxiliary equipment in the retailing of soft drinks.

Throughout the United States and the world it has in recent years becomecustomary to sell bottled beverages from refrigerators or what iscommonly known a coolers. These devices are generally made of metal, areinsulated, and their interiors comprise a tank into which the bottlesare placedalong with ice and water for the purpose of reducing theirtemperature .to a point of optimum potability. The tops of conventionalcoolers now in use usually consist of two hinged lids; and the customerfrequently serves himself as by raising one of the lids, selecting thebeverage which he desires, removing the crown from the bottle with anopener attached to the cooler for that purpose, and paying the ownereither after finishing his drink or during the process of consumption.Such a practice enables a small merchant to look after more customersthan he otherwise could, and in the case of filling station operators,make possible a profitable side-line Without the necessity of hiringextra help. The i regular attendants as a general thing spend theirentire time looking after the duties normally associated with servicingcars, and insofar as the soft drink business is concerned are onlycashiers.

The common American practice of placing beverage coolers in fillingstations, where travelers and others may take advantage of brief stopsand necessary waits to refresh themselves, has, however, led to somespecial problems. For example, filling station are not as a rul large,and by the time necessary articles such as cans of oil and grease, waterbuckets, and the like have been brought inside at night there is no roomfor a device the size of a cooler, and accordingly such are generallyleft out. Initially, this meant that the entire contents thereof had tobe removed at closing time and brought into the building, this resultingin loss of refrigeration, some breakage clue to the excessive handlingof bottles, and extra work. It was necessary to do this though becauseotherwise a passer-by in the night might rifle the cooler of itscontents.

In order to prevent these economic losses certain instrumentalities werenext devised for locking the lids of coolers, these initially consistingof a pair of locks, somewhat similar to those found on automobile doors,being placed at opposite ends of the lids. While this expedient was atfirst satisfactory, it was soon discovered that thieves were openingcoolers by prying th lids up in the middle, the hinges there giving wayunder no g-reat'strainand the vandal then being able to help himself tothe contents of the refrigmater and depart, leaving behind a badlysprung and potentially deficient refrigerating device.

To remedy this situation, means in the nature of sliding bars wereprovided, which members operated on the under side of the lid by beingpushed into position across the inner meeting points thereof, thustending to prevent their being pried upwardly. The chief objection tothis expedient was that the human element often resulted in said barsnot being pushed into operati'v'e position when the cooler was closedfor the night with the result that thieves regularly came along andpried open lids where a dormant safet'y device served no useful purpose.

An object of my invention is to provide automatic means for preventingthe prying open of cooler lids.

Another object is to provide economical locking means for suchrefrigerating devices.

A still further object is to provide simple and efficient means forpreventing the riding of 0001 61s when such have been locked.

Another object is to provide cheapnes of construction and simplicity ina safety device of the instant type.

These and other objects made apparent through the further progress ofthis spec fication are accomplished by means of my improved cooler lid,a full and complete understanding of which will be facilitated byreference to the drawing herein, in which Fig; 1 is a view inperspective of a cooler embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical crosssection of the structureshown in Fig. 1, said view being taken along the line 2-2 of said figurelookingin the direction of the arrows;

Fig; 3 is an enlarged View in' vertical cross-section-of the structureshown in Fig. 2, said view being taken along the 1ine'3'- 3 of saidfigure; and

Fig. 4 is an exploded view in perspective show ing the variou elementsof the hinge member, which may be said to constitute the essence of myinvention.

Referring now to the drawing, l0 illustrates a cooler of the typedescribed heretofore, said cooler having top elements or lids H and I2,positioned at either end of which are locks I3 and I4, same not beingdescribed in detail herein since per se they do not constitute part ofthe instantinvention.

Attention is now directed to the hinge members which join said lidstogether along their inner meeting line and permit such to be pivotedupwardly upon the handle members l5 or 16 of locks 13 and I4 beinggrasped and suitable directional force applied, such movement resultingin exposing the contents of the cooler to the eye of the prospectivepurchaser.

Said hinges embody a more or less conventional element I! which isattached to one of the lids as through the medium of appropriate screwssuch as I8, said hinge element having suitably spaced circular aperturesl9 contemplated to be associated with similar elements 20 of a secondhinge element 2!, a pintle 22 then being passed through said openingsand thereby pivotally joining the members.

Directing special attention to hinge element 2|, it will be noted thatsuch is not conventional in form in that fabricated integral therewithand at right angles to the normal plane surface thereof is auxiliaryelement 22, same extending a suitable distance to insure the resultsdescribed infra and preferably being formed of metal of the samethickness as the remainder of the hinge. Or, if desired, greater thanordinary strength may be afforded this wing member by increasing thethickness or making it from metal having a high carbon content. Element2| is affixed to the lid opposite element I! as through theinstrumentality of screws IS.

The operation of my device is as follows:

When it is desired to lock the cooler, as when a business establishmentis being closed for the light, locks 13 and M are actuated by means ofkeys provided for that purpose. The cooler is now automatically sealedagainst pilferers, it being apparent that any attempt to pry open thelids in the middle will be thwarted by virtue of the fact that elements22 extend under lid H in such manner as to in effect make said lid, withcorresponding element I2, one piece, a rigid and substantiallytamper-proof structure being thereby afforded. No adjustment isnecessary to make this safety device operative, it always being in placeyet interfering in no way with the normal operation of the lids, itbeing apparent that lid l l is free to be pivoted upwardly withoutinterference from elements 22 and it likewise being clear that lid l2may be readily raised, said locking elements then traveling downwardlyin an arc and in no way obstructing the operation of the lid, the spaceat the top of the cooler always being ample to allow such a movement.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have disclosed a new and usefullocking and safety device of the instant type, which device is simpleand automatic in its operation, economic in its manufacture, devoid ofmoving parts to get out of order, and in general thoroughly satisfactoryfor its intended purpose.

While I have described my invention with particular reference tocoolers, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such use,but on the contrary intend that the scope of protection to be accordedme shall be such as to embrace any other use to which the instant devicemay be suitably put. Also, I have described in some detail the specificstructure of a preferred form of my invention and made some reference tomaterials, but this is not to be taken in any limiting sense, Iintending on the contrary that the appended claims shall be accorded ascope fairly in keeping with my contribution to the art.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a refrigerator, 2, pair ofabutting lids closing the top thereof, locks for said lids, and meanspreventing the lids from being forced upwardly at their abutting faces,said means comprising a hinge member attached to one of said lids on itsabutting face and having an elongated lower portion bent atsubstantially right angles and extending beneath and in contact with theinner portion of the lid opposite to that to which it is attached, saidlower portion being of a length at least equal to that of the section ofthe hinge directly attached to the lid.

2. In a device of the character described, a plurality of abutting lidmembers, and means for preventing same from being forced upwardly alongtheir abutting faces, said means comprising a hinge member attached toone of said lids on its abutting face and having an elongated lowerportion bent at substantially right angles and extending along the lowersurface of and in contact with the lid opposite to that to which saidhinge member is anchored, said elongated lower portion being of a lengthat least equal to that of the segment of the hinge attached to the lid.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, arefrigerator box, abutting lids registering with the top thereof, locksfor said lids, and means preventing the lids from being pried upwardlyin the region of their abutting faces, said means comprising a flathinge member secured to one of the lids on its abutting face andpivotally associated with a second hinge member secured to the oppositelid and having its lower edge bent at substantially right angles andextending beneath and contiguous to the lid opposite to which it issecured, said lower edge being of a length at least equal to that of theportion of the hinge attached directly to the lid.

4. In combination with a pair of abutting lids, a hinge memberconsisting of an element having a plane surface and pintle receivingapertures said element being secured to one of said lids on its abuttingface; and a second element having cooperating apertures, associated withsaid first element and mounted on the abutting face of said other lid,said second element having an elongated lower portion bent atsubstantially right angles to contact the lower portion of the lidopposite to which it is anchored, said elongated lower portion being ofa length at least equal to that section of the element attached directlyto the lid, and a pintle uniting said hinge elements in pivotalrelationship.

WILLIAM G. KALISKA.

